⑨bronze sun wheel

这是三星堆博物馆最具现代感的一件文物，圆盘状的造型让人不禁联想到汽车的方向盘。因此，铜太阳形器一经出土，就笼罩着一层神秘感。

This one has been recognized as the most modern cultural relic in Sanxingdui Museum, which is of disc-shape and easily makes people remind of the steering wheel of car. Therefore, once the bronze sun wheel was unearthed, it has been shrouded in mystery.

三星堆二号祭祀坑一共出土了六件这样的轮状器物，直径都在85厘米左右。对于这个青铜轮形器的用途，外界有太多的猜测。有人说是青铜车上的车轮，也有人说它是盾牌上的饰物。不过目前学术界普遍还是认为它是一件表现太阳形象的礼器。

There were six in total wheel-shaped artifacts unearthed from the No. 2 sacrificial pit of Sanxingdui, they are all with a diameter about 85 cm.  There has been many speculations about the purpose of this bronze sun wheel.  Some people hold the opinion that it is a wheel on a ancient bronze car, others believe that it is an ornament on a shield. The academic circles generally consider it as a ritual vessel symbolizing the pattern of the sun.

铜太阳形器整体呈圆形结构，正中央的凸起代表着太阳。（总直径85厘米，阳部直径28厘米）。放射的五条线代表着光芒，外部的圆圈则代表着太阳的光晕。

From the appearance, The bronze sun wheel is of round shape, and the bulge in the center is regarded as the sun.  (the diameter of the whole wheel is 85 cm, and the diameter of the “sun” is 28 cm). The five radial lines represent the rays of sunshine, and the outer circle represents the halo of the sun.

在制作上，古蜀人采用分段铸造法技术，分别制作太阳的圆心，五道放射状的光芒，和外围的光圈。规则的圆形，均匀的五等分，这样精湛的工艺水平说明当时的古蜀人已经掌握了一定的几何和数学知识。

In the way of producing, the people of ancient Shu adopted the segmented casting technology to separately produce the center of the sun, the five radial rays, and the outer aperture. The regular round shape and it was evenly divided into five equal parts, such exquisite craftsmanship shows that the ancient Shu people at that time had mastered certain knowledge of geometry and mathematics.

铜太阳形器的中心有圆孔，外圈上也等距分布着5个圆孔，专家推测可能当时它被钉挂在某种物体上，作为太阳的象征接受人们的顶礼膜拜。

In detailed way, there is a round hole in the center of the bronze sun wheel, likewise other 5 round holes equally spaced on the outer circle. Experts guess that this device was possibly nailed to some object at that time, as a symbol of the sun to accept people's adoration.

太阳是古代人民认识宇宙和生命的参照物，三星堆出土的很多器物上都有着丰富多样的太阳纹饰，不过像铜太阳形器这样直观刻画太阳形象的，还是首次被发现。万物生长靠太阳，古蜀人以各种图腾的方式来展现对太阳的崇拜，或许正是他们对美好生活的向往最虔诚的表达。

The sun has been a reference for the ancient people to know more about the universe and life, many artifacts unearthed from Sanxingdui are with various sun patterns, but this bronze sun wheel is more special comparing to others, which is the first one discovered that directly portrays the image of the sun. Ancient people believed that everything grows by the sun, the ancient Shu people has shown their reverence for the sun by using various totems , it could be recognized as their most pious expression of yearning for a better life.

时至今日，成都人民依旧热爱太阳：每一个阳光灿烂的日子，都是节日；每错过一个晴天，都是对生命的辜负。三千年时光倏忽而逝，这种对太阳的崇拜，却依旧在巴蜀大地上默默延续着。

Nowadays, the people of Chengdu still love the sun, and there is a local dialect: “every sunny day is a festival, it is a betrayal of life once missed a sunny day.”  Three thousand years passed by, but this adoration for the sun among people still lasts on the land of Bashu.